Cage door handle and latch assembly

ABSTRACT

This device is a door handle and latch assembly for use on animal enclosures, such as cages or the like, particularly for small animals such as chinchilla, rabbits, mice, rats, mink, poultry, etc. It consists of a small tight loop or wire keeper projecting from the door jamb or cage wall adjacent the doorway of the cage, and a large open latch loop of resilient wire or metal rod having a succeeding convolution spaced apart a distance slightly less than the maximum diameter of the keeper loop, the latch loop extending at right angles to the keeper loop and so mounted that when the door is closed, the adjacent convolutions of the latch loop spread apart and snap over the keeper loop to hold the door latched in closed position sufficient to hold it closed against the weight or push of the animals confined in the enclosure. This same large latch loop also acts as a handle for opening the door by inserting a finger or two into the large loop and pulling it to snap it out of engagement with the keeper loop, or by twist flexing the handle loop to somewhat enlarge the convolution spacing enabling the handle to easily withdraw from it the keeper loop and open the door.

United States Patent [72] lnventor Morton W. Jones 925 Third St., Ramona, Calif. 92065 [21] Appl. No. 44,774 [22] Filed June 9, 1970 [45] Patented Nov. 16, 1971 [54] CAGE DOOR HANDLE AND LATCH ASSEMBLY 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 292/76, 292/87, 292/DlG. 30 [51] Int. CL E05c 19/02 [50] Field of Search 292/17, 87, 76, DIG. 50, DlG. 30; 24/213 C, 215, 218

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 894,355 7/1908 Wallace '292/17 352,714 ll/1886 Sanders... 24/218 732,462 6/1903 Stirckler.. 24/215 2,255,858 9/1941 Place 24/213 C Primary Examiner-Robert l... Wolfe Attorney--Gustave Miller ABSTRACT: This device is a door handle and latch assembly for use on animal enclosures, such as cages or the like, particularly for small animals such as chinchilla, rabbits, mice, rats, mink, poultry, etc.

It consists of a small tight loop or wire keeper projecting from the door jamb or cage wall adjacent the doorway of the cage, and a large open latch loop of resilient wire or metal rod having a succeeding convolution spaced apart a distance slightly less than the maximum diameter of the keeper loop, the latch loop extending at right angles to the keeper loop and so mounted that when the door is closed, the adjacent convolutions of the latch loop spread apart and snap over the keeper loop to hold the door latched in closed position sufficient to hold it closed against the weight or push of the animals confined in the enclosure. This same large latch loop also acts as a handle for opening the door by inserting a finger or two into the large loop and pulling it to snap it out of engagement with the keeper loop, or by twist flexing the handle loop to somewhat enlarge the convolution spacing enabling the handle to easily withdraw from it the keeper loop and open the door.

CAGE DOOR HANDLE AND LATCH ASSEMBLY OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a cage or enclosure door handle and latch assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which may be made of the same somewhat resilient wire or rod of which the cage or enclosure is made.

A further object of this invention is to provide a handle and latch assembly made of the same wire metal or rod as the enclosure itself, the wire or rod being of hard drawn bright basic, or of spring steel wire, or other suitable material.

A further object of this invention is to provide a keeper and handle latch assembly wherein the keeper is a circular member such as a single tight loop of cage wire extending forwardly from the cage wall, and the latch handle is a loose loop having adjacent convolutions at right angles to the keeper loop, and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the outside diameter of the keeper loop, so that it may snap thereover to closed position, or be pulled or slightly twisted and flexed as it is pulled away from the keeper loop.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide an animal cage or enclosure made of wire or rods wherein the wire or rod of the cage or enclosure is formed into the handle and latch assembly of this invention, eliminating the need for an extraneous handle or latch that would have to be added to the cage door and door jamb.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is an animal cage or enclosure made of rods or wires. One rod or wire extends vertically on or adjacent the door jamb, and is formed into a single tight loop or coil about midway of its height. The door is a wire frame, pivoted or hinged on a vertical cage wall rod. A longitudinal horizontal rod secured to and across each of the vertically extending door wires or rods, thus reinforcing them, has its end formed irto a forwardly extending large loose loop, the adjacent convolutions of which normally are spaced apart a distance slightly less than the maximum diameter of the keeper loop, and so positioned that it will snap over the keeper loop when the door is closed, and which may be twisted and flexed, as it is pulled, to snap it away from the keeper loop to open the door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the cage door handle and latch of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the handle latch and keeper in latched position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION There is shown at the animal cage door handle and latch of this invention in latched position, the term cage including any type of suitable animal enclosure or other enclosure, whether for animals or not, where the use of the latch of this invention would be suitablev The cage or enclosure to which this handle and latch is applied consists of a doorway l2 and a door 14. The doorway 12 is provided by a rectangular frame 16 made of wire which is of hard drawn bright basic metal, or it can be constructed of spring steel wire, and the handle and latch 10 is made of the same material. As shown, a vertical rod or wire 18 at or adjacent one end of the door frame 16 serves as a pintle 18 on which the door 14 is pivoted by having the end portions of its top and bottom horizontal rod or wire portions curved in a closed loop 22 thereabout.

When the enclosure is not made entirely of rods or wire, then end vertical wires or rods 24 and are provided which are secured to upright end portions 26 of the enclosure framework 28 by suitable means such as by U staples or other suitable fastening means.

The top and bottom wire portions 20 are integrally connected by a vertical connecting portion 32 forming a U therewith. Secured parallel to and adjacent the bottom rod portion 20 of door 14 is a horizontal rod 34, one end being secured as by welding or the like to the end portion 32 of the door, and the other end secured to and across a plurality of vertical long and short parallel rods 36 and 38, the rods 36 and 38 being also secured to the top rod portions 20. Only the long vertical rods 36 are secured to the bottom horizontal rod 20, thus providing an opening 40 through which a food dispenser (not shown) may extend, the food dispenser being hung on another horizontal rod 42 extending across and secured to the vertical rods 36 and 38.

The door jamb end of horizontal rod 42 extends beyond the vertical end portion rod 32, to which it is secured, and it curves around in a loose loop or coil having substantially spaced apart convolutions 44 and 46 providing a door handle and latch 48.

The door jamb end vertical rod 25 is provided with a forwardly extending tight circular portion 50 of one coil or possibly two or more, whose maximum outside diameter is slightly larger than the spacing between the adjacent convolutions 44 and 46 of handle latch 48. As a result, when the door 14 is pushed to closed position, the handle latch convolutions 44 and 46 will spread apart temporarily and then snap over the tight keeper coil 50 to retain the door in closed position against the door frame 28.

To open the door 14, the handle48 may either be pulled away from the keeper coil 50, or it may be grasped and twisted slightly to flex its convolutions 44 and 46 apart making it very easy to disengage the handle 48 from the keeper coil or loop 50 and open the door 14. There is thus provided a door handle and latch 48 which is very easy to both open and close yet which will keep the door 14 closed securely against any animal that may be caged in the enclosure.

ABSTRACT OF THE DRAWING In the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts, and for the purposes of explication, set forth below are the numbered parts of the improved Cage Door Handle And Latch Assembly:

l2 doorway l4 door 16 rectangular door frame 18 pintle 20 top and bottom horizontal rod portions of door 14 22 looped end portions of 20 about pintle I8 24 one end vertical rod of rectangular frame 16 25 door jamb end vertical rod of frame 16 26 upright end portions of enclosure framework 28 28 enclosure framework 30 U staple fastenings holding rods 24 and 25 to 26 32 integral vertical rod connection between upper 34 and lower horizontal rod portions 20 of door 14 36 long vertical rods of door 14 38 short vertical rods of door 14 40 food dispensing opening through door 14 t 42 horizontal rod between top and bottom rod portions 20 44 first convolution of rod beyond door jamb end of rod 42 46 second convolution of end of rod 42, spaced substantially therebelow 48 door handle provided by convolutions 44 and 46 50 latch keeper provided by tight coil in door jamb end of vertical rod 25, slightly larger than space between convolutions 46 and 48 Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. For use in yieldably securing a door (14) in closed position over a doorway (12) in an enclosure; a door handle and latch assembly comprising a circular keeper (50) secured to and extending forwardly from an enclosure wall (26) adjacent the door jamb end of the doorway (12) therein, said circular keeper (50) having a maximum diameter spaced from and substantially at right angles to the plane of the enclosure doorway wall (26), and a cooperating resilient spiral loop latch handle member (48) secured to and extending from an end of said enclosure door (14), the general plane of said spiral loop latch handle member (48) being at right angles to the plane of said circular keeper member (50) maximum diameter, the spacing between the adjacent convolutions (44 and 46) of said spiral loop latch handle (48) being slightly less than the said maximum diameter of said circular keeper member (50) whereby when the enclosure door (14) is pushed to or pulled from closed position, said adjacent resilient spaced apart handle convolutions (44 and 46) will yieldably engage over or disengage from said circular keeper member (50).

2. The assembly of claim 1, said loop handle latch member (48) having an internal diameter substantially greater than said maximum diameter of said circular keeper member (50) thus providing a finger engageable handle (48) for use in opening the door (14).

3. The assembly of claim 1, said circular handle loop (48) being an end portion of a horizontal rod (42) secured to and reinforcing said enclosure door (14).

4. The assembly of claim 1, said circular keeper (50) comprising a tight looped coil (50) extending diametrically forward from a rod (25) secured (30) on the door jamb end enclosure wall (26).

5. The assembly of claim 2, said circular handle loop (48) being an end portion of a horizontal rod (42) secured to and reinforcing said enclosure door 14), said circular keeper (50) comprising a tight looped coil (50) extending diametrically forward from a rod (25) secured (30) on the door jamb end enclosure wall (26).

Applicant is aware of the following pertinent prior references as the result of a preliminary search:

Yancy 1,785,468 Dec. 16, 1930 292-87 Evans 2,454,505 Nov. 23, 1948 29276 Hafsted 3,013,803 Dec. 12, 1961 292-76 

1. For use in yieldably securing a door (14) in closed position over a doorway (12) in an enclosure; a door handle and latch assembly (10) comprising a circular keeper (50) secured to and extending forwardly from an enclosure wall (26) adjacent the door jamb end of the doorway (12) therein, said circular keeper (50) having a maximum diameter spaced from and substantially at right angles to the plane of the enclosure doorway wall (26), and a cooperating resilient spiral loop latch handle member (48) secured to and extending from an end of said enclosure door (14), the general plane of said spiral loop latch handle member (48) being at right angles to the plane of said circular keeper member (50) maximum diameter, the spacing between the adjacent convolutions (44 and 46) of said spiral loop latch handle (48) being slightly less than the said maximum diameter of said circular keeper member (50) whereby when the enclosure door (14) is pushed to or pulled from closed position, said adjacent resilient spaced apart handle convolutions (44 and 46) will yieldably engage over or disengage from said circular keeper member (50).
 2. The assembly of claim 1, said loop handle latch member (48) having an internal diameter substantially greater than said maximum diameter of said circular keeper member (50) thus providing a finger engageable handle (48) for use in opening the door (14).
 3. The assembly of claim 1, said circular handle loop (48) being an end portion of a horizontal rod (42) secured to and reinforcing said enclosure door (14).
 4. The assembly of claim 1, said circular keeper (50) comprising a tight looped coil (50) extending diametrically forward from a rod (25) secured (30) on the door jamb end enclosure wall (26).
 5. The assembly of claim 2, said circular handle loop (48) being an end portion of a horizontal rod (42) secured to and reinforcing said enclosure door (14), said circular keeper (50) comprising a tight looped coil (50) extending diametrically forward from a rod (25) secured (30) on the door jamb end enclosure wall (26). Applicant is aware of the following pertinent prior references as the result of a preliminary search: Yancy 1,785,468 Dec. 16, 1930 292-87 Evans 2,454,505 Nov. 23, 1948 292-76 Hafsted 3,013,803 Dec. 12, 1961 292-76 